Tabor & Scribner Shut Down Boise in 5-2 Win

NWL Postseason All-Star Matt Tabor Earns Second Victory

BOISE, IDAHO --- On Thursday afternoon, Hops right-hander Matt Tabor was named to the Northwest League postseason all-star team. Two hours later, he showed why.

Tabor tossed five innings, allowing five hits and two runs to earn his second victory of the season in a 5-2 Hops win at Boise Memorial Stadium. Tabor has allowed just three runs in his last 22 innings.

Troy Scribner, with Hillsboro on injury rehab from Triple-A Reno, worked the final four innings to earn a save in his Hops debut.

With their 48th win, the Hops have matched the franchise record set in 2014. There are four games remaining in the season.

Boise jumped in front 1-0 on a Willie MacIver RBI single in the bottom of the second, but Hillsboro scored three runs --- all unearned --- in the top of the fourth with help from errors by Boise shortstop LeeMarcus Boyd and third baseman Trey Jacobs. With two out and the game tied 1-1, Dan Swain lined a single to right field to make it 3-1 Hillsboro.

Tabor allowed an RBI triple by Boyd in the bottom of the fifth, but David Garza Jr., in his first game with Hillsboro, started a key double play. The former Tennessee Tech shortstop, who has been a corner infielder during his first season as a professional, fielded a ground ball at first base, stepped on the bag and threw to Andy Yerzy at the plate. Yerzy applied the tag on Boyd to complete the inning-ending DP.

Hillsboro added two runs in the top of the ninth on a leadoff double by Francis Martinez --- the Hops' lone extra-base hit of the night to go along with 11 singles. Martinez advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Garza's ground-out. Keshawn Lynch then walked, stole second, and scored on Jorge Perez's infield hit to first.

Scribner retired 12 of the 13 hitters to face him, striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth.

It was the first win by a Hillsboro starter since Tabor won at home against Spokane on July 1st. (Three of the Hops five starters are directly out of college and haven't been allowed to go the required five innings to qualify for a win. The other two starters, Tabor and Luis Frias, began the season as teenagers and are limited to five innings in each of their starts.)

Boise (12-22 in the second half, 33-39 overall) is on the verge of elimination. In order to earn a playoff berth, they must win their final four games and have Salem-Keizer lose their final four.

Hillsboro (24-10, 48-24) has the best winning percentage in the minor leagues (.667), Class A and above. Hops manager Shawn Roof was named today as the Northwest League manager of the year. Andy Yerzy (named as DH) and pitcher Josh Green join Tabor on the NWL postseason all-star team.

Hillsboro and Boise meet in the final game of the series on Friday night in Boise. The radio broadcast begins at 6:00 PM (Pacific) on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.RipCityRadio.com. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.